My Puffer Fish

[jefferson1170]

my short spiked puffer fish has recently stopped eating and im getting worried he may die ive tried different foods and i feed him by hand and other ways, he is just isnt eating it please if anybody has any feed back please share it and help me,
this fish means a lot to me ive had him since he was about 6 weeks old and now he is about 2 and it would be sad for him to die
Thanks
Jefferson

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Can you give us more info on your situation please;

Gallons/litres and dimensions of the tank
How long has it been set up
What sort of filtration does it have
Is it heated
How many, what types and what sizes of fish do you have in the tank
Have you lost any fish recently
How often do you do water changes and how much do you take out on average
Do you have test kits for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and ph
Do you use dechlorinator


Also what have you tried feeding him so far?
I've never heard of a short spiked puffer fish (its posible that this is a wrong name for the fish), can you get any pics of the puffer?
Are you keeping the pufferfish in a freshwater, brackish or marine tank set up?

 

[mark.w.jones]

I haven't kept one myself but in this months PFK June there is a whole double page spread on getting your puffer to feed that I can precis for you.

1. Feed some shell foods such as snails, crustaceans and other shellfish.
2. Hunting puffers benefit from more hard foods to wear teeth down.
3. Lurking puffers do not need as much hard food.
4. If you are struggling to get them to feed you have have to start them on live blood worms, black worms, shrimp or snails.
5. Movement is the key to getting them to accept dead foods.
6. Small puffers should accept frozen bloodworms. Defrost in a bowl with boling water. Then use the current from the filter or an airstone to simulate movement.
7. For bigger puffers meatier foods such as mussels, prawns and krill can be be thawed and skewered. Then bobbed and twisted in front of them. Or tied to thread and dangled in filter current.
8. To wean on to live bloodworm it may help to mix live and dead for a while, especially for lurker type puffers.
9. Many puffers are moody when first moved to a new tank and may not eat for the first week or month. This is not unusual. Patience is the key.
10. Smaller active puffers + juveniles need feeding daily with maybe one day off.
11. As they get bigger change to every other day, then to every 3 days. Fully grown twice a week is enough.

Common frozen foods:

mussels, cockles, krill, shell on prawns, crab, crab legs, blood worms, black worms.

Common live foods:

Snails, crabs, shrimp, earthworms, bloodworms, black worms.

Freeze Dried:

Krill, plankton.

Article by Ian Jefferies June 2007

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

You have to be careful about puffers though, as a lot of them are brackish fish.

 

[Maximus]

You have to be careful about puffers though, as a lot of them are brackish fish.

I always thought that there were many more FW and SW puffers,
Then there is brackish?

Or maybe I'm wrong

Although, alot of the commonly sold are brackish or eventually SW



Maximus

 

[jefferson1170]

thanks ill try some of these

I haven't kept one myself but in this months PFK June there is a whole double page spread on getting your puffer to feed that I can precis for you.

1. Feed some shell foods such as snails, crustaceans and other shellfish.
2. Hunting puffers benefit from more hard foods to wear teeth down.
3. Lurking puffers do not need as much hard food.
4. If you are struggling to get them to feed you have have to start them on live blood worms, black worms, shrimp or snails.
5. Movement is the key to getting them to accept dead foods.
6. Small puffers should accept frozen bloodworms. Defrost in a bowl with boling water. Then use the current from the filter or an airstone to simulate movement.
7. For bigger puffers meatier foods such as mussels, prawns and krill can be be thawed and skewered. Then bobbed and twisted in front of them. Or tied to thread and dangled in filter current.
8. To wean on to live bloodworm it may help to mix live and dead for a while, especially for lurker type puffers.
9. Many puffers are moody when first moved to a new tank and may not eat for the first week or month. This is not unusual. Patience is the key.
10. Smaller active puffers + juveniles need feeding daily with maybe one day off.
11. As they get bigger change to every other day, then to every 3 days. Fully grown twice a week is enough.

Common frozen foods:

mussels, cockles, krill, shell on prawns, crab, crab legs, blood worms, black worms.

Common live foods:

Snails, crabs, shrimp, earthworms, bloodworms, black worms.

Freeze Dried:

Krill, plankton.

Article by Ian Jefferies June 2007

 

[pica_nuttalli]

You're right, Maximus, most puffers are either FW or SW. Only a few should be kept in Brackish water long term.

It's my suspicion that the puffer in question is a SW specimen, as I can't think of any FW/Brackish ones that have visible spikes.

jefferson, if you could give us a detailed description of your tank, then we'd be better able to help you figure out what's gone wrong. in addition to Tokis's requests, please tell us:

the tank's nitrAte level
the salinity level
what did you feed him before he stopped eating
what foods have you tried feeding him since
did you add anything new to the tank recently

 

[jefferson1170]

My puffer is a salt water fish
all of the nitrAte, nitrites, SW ph's are perfect and the salt is perfect
the filter that used to be with it cracked through three compartments as it was a glass tank the one that is currently in is relatviely small temporary one compared to what it used to be
he eats whole shrimp
weve tried feeding him large lance fish, cockles, he has even eaten the cleaner shrimps we had before we got him and the two star fish we put in

i soon will be buying a smaller tank with a better filter in as it is only him left in a large tank

You're right, Maximus, most puffers are either FW or SW. Only a few should be kept in Brackish water long term.

It's my suspicion that the puffer in question is a SW specimen, as I can't think of any FW/Brackish ones that have visible spikes.

jefferson, if you could give us a detailed description of your tank, then we'd be better able to help you figure out what's gone wrong. in addition to Tokis's requests, please tell us:

the tank's nitrAte level
the salinity level
what did you feed him before he stopped eating
what foods have you tried feeding him since
did you add anything new to the tank recently

 

[jefferson1170]

Can you give us more info on your situation please;

Gallons/litres and dimensions of the tank
How long has it been set up = aprox 2-3 years
What sort of filtration does it have
Is it heated = yes
How many, what types and what sizes of fish do you have in the tank = theres only him
Have you lost any fish recently = yes and they are taken out the same day and water is tested for the next two weeks
How often do you do water changes and how much do you take out on average = water changes every year
Do you have test kits for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and ph = yes and they all end up being perfect
Do you use dechlorinator


Also what have you tried feeding him so far? = lance fish, cockle and has also eaten cleaner shrimp and two star fish
I've never heard of a short spiked puffer fish (its posible that this is a wrong name for the fish), can you get any pics of the puffer? = it is the correct name, its hard to take a picture of him he swims away when you try to take pictures
Are you keeping the pufferfish in a freshwater, brackish or marine tank set up? = Marine tank

 

[DarkEntity]

Dont take this the wrong way, but im confused.


How can everything in the tank be ok, when you have lost every fish apart from him and he isnt eating? You say he is a spined Puffer, in which case im guessing Diodon holocanthus (Porcupine Puffer), if thats the chap then i really hope you have about a 100Gall tank or more as he is a fish that will grow to 20inches in length. If you have had him 2 years then he will be fairly large:

What size is this fish?
What is the actual tank size, Length, Depth, Height?
Actual Nitrate, Nitrite, Ammonia etc readings. (ok doenst hold any water im afraid)?
What is the Salinity Reading?

you really need to be far more specific with the info before we can aid you.

You also said you were buying a smaller tank for him, if you cant support the fish then you should attempt to rehome, he really isnt a fish for a small tank. 100Gall is really a bare minimum for this fish fully grown.